Return of the fans is big first step – Rodgers

BUT BLUE ARMY WON’T BE BACK IN KING POWER ANY TIME SOON

THE return of supporters to some stadiums is an important first step, Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers believes, even if it’s “probably not fair”.

Next week, when lockdown restrictions are lifted and regions around England are placed into tiers, Premier League sides in Tier 2 will be able to welcome 2,000 fans back to their grounds.

With Leicester and Leicestershire placed in Tier 3, games at the King Power Stadium will remain behind closed doors.

So while they will have nobody to cheer them on at home, City could be faced with small crowds when they travel to face Tottenham on December 19 and Crystal Palace on December 28, with London in Tier 2.

Although City are one of the 10 Premier League clubs to miss out, Rodgers said he could not bemoan fans across the country being given the opportunity to see their teams live, adding that the measure could be hugely beneficial to struggling lower league clubs.

“Firstly, any way in which we can get supporters back into grounds, that’s what we all want,” said Rodgers, below.

“It probably won’t be fair, there are parts of the country where fans won’t get in, but I think it’s very hard to deny people whose lives depend on football, and who love football so much, to not be able to go into grounds.

“I think it’s great news. There will be clubs at the lower level where if they can get 4,000 supporters in, that will be up to 50 per cent of their crowds in the ground, so that’s going to be hugely beneficial for those. It’s a start point for us, hopefully over the course of the coming months, we can get more supporters in, and of course, a team like ourselves, we want our supporters with us both home and away and hopefully that will be in the not-too-distant future.”

The tiers will be reviewed on December 16.

If Leicester is then placed in Tier 2, City may be allowed to welcome fans back to the King Power Stadium for the Boxing Day clash with Manchester United.